Development of orthographic knowledge and its relationship with reading and spelling among Chinese kindergarten and primary school children

Abstract

There have been numerous studies examining reading development in alphabetic languages in the past decades. Similar research in Chinese only received attention in recent years (e.g., Ho & Bryant, 1997., 1997b; Huang & Hanley, 1995, 1997). Interestingly, more research efforts have been devoted to investigating reading than spelling development. Some research findings have shown that reading and spelling development are inextricably linked to each other, in that reading development facilitates growth in spelling and vice versa (e.g., Bruck & Waters, 1990; Ehri, 1991, 1997; Juel, Griffith, & Gough, 1986). Both reading and spelling may rely on the same or similar sets of lexical and orthographic knowledge. However, other research fmdings have shown that there is a distinct developmental path for early reading and spelling (e.g., Caravolas, Hulme, & Snowling, 2001; Ellis & Cataldo, 1990). For instance, Caravolas el al. (2001) reported that predictors of early reading skills and skills were different. Phonological spelling skill was found to predict reading, but reading did not predict phonological spelling skill. They also reported that phonological spelling skill, logether with orthographic knowledge developed through reading, predicted the development of conventional spelling skill. Thus, it seems to us that reading and spelling development are at least indirectly related through the role of orthographic knowledge in reading and spelling. In this chapter, we will report an original study examining the development of orthographic knowledge and its relationship with reading and spelling among Chinese kindergarten and primary school children.